Living "The American Nightmare"

When I found this picture I knew I wouldn’t have to look any further for a visual argument. Standing in the front of a disorderly environment is a mother and her child. It’s obvious that they are a lot poorer than your average American; or are they your average American trying to make a way to live? My topic is poverty and one of the main points I wanted to focus on is how average people fight this battle alongside the common “bum.” The homeless that we encounter most days are dressed in raggedy clothing. Often times, this is how we associate them with being poor. But this picture says something different. The fact that they are clothed decently hints that you would never know that that is the way they live if you didn’t have this picture to prove it. Behind them lies trash all over the ground, a poor walk way, and a dirty brick building that would suffice for what some would call “the projects.” When I saw this picture, I immediately felt for this single family. It makes someone feel sad or sympathetic. The story this picture tells is the story of many families today. These are people we work with, go to school with, associate with, and call our friends. If the background in the photo does not awaken anything in you, the looks on their faces certainly should. Even though the daughter looks happy, her mother’s face shows something quite contrary. She looks very tired and worn out. She has bags under her eyes and shows a glimpse of a faint smile. She almost looks as if her mind is on another matter completely. Most likely, how she will afford to keep food in her child’s belly or payment on the roof they do have over their heads. Also, the door is flung wide open. This could give reference to the fact that it is unsafe to live there as well. If we can see through their apartment, can we also see through their struggles? Everyone wants to live “The American Dream.” In the land of opportunity we want the nice cars, the fancy clothes, and the big beautiful house. But all I see in this picture is the complete opposite; a life that nobody wants to live, a nightmare. What appears to me to be “The American Nightmare.”